Fancy wheels - factory or handmade?

nonickname
nonickname Posts: 16
edited December 2009 in Road buying advice
Right - first serious post from a long time lurker

I have the green light for a lads trip to the Alps in the summer

This is the excuse I need to get some ridiculously expensive wheels at long last
I have a few weeks to flog some stuff both on her and Ebay to fund it

Being a Yorkshireman Im looking for a bargain as much as Im looking at performance

Ive always thought hand made wheels would cost ££££ but a bit of Googling tells me this may not be the case

Im kicking myself for missing Ribbles recent Ksyrium Premium deal at 499 but can I really get something tasty built up on Tune hubs for around the same price?

And if so then where?

Many thanks

Comments

  • gsk82
    gsk82 Posts: 3,622
    come on... this is someone taking the piss surely?
    "Unfortunately these days a lot of people don’t understand the real quality of a bike" Ernesto Colnago
  • nonickname
    nonickname Posts: 16
    actually not - perhaps i have just been mislead

    are you telling me factory wheels are £££ better value than hand made?
  • bigal.
    bigal. Posts: 479
    There have been loads of debates about this recently on the forum so try a search.

    Have a look at this http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12663963&highlight=

    I have gone for PMP hubs, Sapim Cx-Ray spokes and IRD Cadence Nobium hubs from Derek at Wheelsmith. Approx weight will be 1400 grams for around the £500 mark.
  • mrushton
    mrushton Posts: 5,182
    You don't need ridiculous wheels out there. Neutrons/DA/Ksyriums all work well. Someone I know who lives out there has Ceramic Open Pros on 32 hole D/A for everyday use.
    M.Rushton
  • bobtbuilder
    bobtbuilder Posts: 1,537
    mrushton wrote:
    You don't need ridiculous wheels out there. Neutrons/DA/Ksyriums all work well. Someone I know who lives out there has Ceramic Open Pros on 32 hole D/A for everyday use.

    The OP says this is an excuse to buy top wheels, not a requirement. Sometimes we all need a "reason" to justify some top bit of kit! :D
  • gelbvieh
    gelbvieh Posts: 27
    I have tune hubs with DT Swiss R 1.1 rims and aerolite spokes. Great wheels and not too pricey to have made up.
  • Crankmeister
    Crankmeister Posts: 274
    bigal. wrote:
    There have been loads of debates about this recently on the forum so try a search.

    Have a look at this http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12663963&highlight=

    I have gone for PMP hubs, Sapim Cx-Ray spokes and IRD Cadence Nobium hubs from Derek at Wheelsmith. Approx weight will be 1400 grams for around the £500 mark.
    My mountain bike wheels are far lighter than those. im not bragging.it just seems 1400grams isnt that light in my opinion. :o
    why do road bike wheels seem heavier than mountain bike wheels ? :shock:
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    Crankmeister wrote:
    bigal. wrote:
    There have been loads of debates about this recently on the forum so try a search.

    Have a look at this http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12663963&highlight=

    I have gone for PMP hubs, Sapim Cx-Ray spokes and IRD Cadence Nobium hubs from Derek at Wheelsmith. Approx weight will be 1400 grams for around the £500 mark.
    My mountain bike wheels are far lighter than those. im not bragging.it just seems 1400grams isnt that light in my opinion. :o
    why do road bike wheels seem heavier than mountain bike wheels ? :shock:

    I was going to say that they have a larger circumference and longer spokes, but I can't actually find any tha are significantly lighter for a similar price range...
  • Cranks
    Cranks Posts: 129
    Speak to Steve at Roadace for hand builts. Thats a nice budget you got there to spend!
  • maddog 2
    maddog 2 Posts: 8,114
    I'm a handbuilt fan myself although I can see the allure of factory too.

    My good wheels are Open Pro ceramics (32h) on Tune hubs, built be Paul Hewitt in Leyland. You can go lighter with less and skinny spokes but these are reliable wheels, as true three years on as the day he built them.

    I'd also look at Ambrosio excellights and PMP/DA/DT hubs
    Facts are meaningless, you can use facts to prove anything that's remotely true! - Homer
  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    Just stick with Record or Dura Ace hubs. They are really nice, and a good bit cheaper than a lot of the super light hubs. That said, Royce hubs are beautiful...
  • onthefells
    onthefells Posts: 157
    guys, how would the more expensive hand built options on the roadrace components site stack up with the Campag Neutron Ultras? and as a relatively 'unmechanical' cyclist am I better off going with the factory builds or is that irrelevant?

    cheers
  • Wappygixer
    Wappygixer Posts: 1,396
    I have Record hubs, CX ray spokes and Excellight rims.
    Lovely set of wheels, decent weight and strong (I weight 88 kg)
    If I damage a rim on a pot hole or wear one out I have re rim it for £50.
    What you gonna do with your factory wheels?Bin them?
    Sure factory built may be a little lighter but I'd rather have longevity than a few grams.
    A standard 3 cross spoked wheel will always build to a stronger wheel than some of the more exotic spoke designs out there.Most of it is purely for pretty looks rather than performance.
  • bigal.
    bigal. Posts: 479
    bigal. wrote:
    There have been loads of debates about this recently on the forum so try a search.

    Have a look at this http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtop ... highlight=

    I have gone for PMP hubs, Sapim Cx-Ray spokes and IRD Cadence Nobium hubs from Derek at Wheelsmith. Approx weight will be 1400 grams for around the £500 mark.

    My mountain bike wheels are far lighter than those. im not bragging.it just seems 1400grams isnt that light in my opinion. Surprised
    why do road bike wheels seem heavier than mountain bike wheels ? Shocked

    Crankmeister - I know nothing about mountain bike wheels but wiggle dont have any at £500 below 1600 grams.

    Which wheels do you use that are lighter than 1400 grams and under £500?????
  • Crankmeister
    Crankmeister Posts: 274
    like i mentioned i wasnt bragging im just wondering why mountain bike wheels seem much lighter taking iinto account they take lots of abuse of road.my wheels for the mountain bike have
    tune hubs
    cx ray spokes
    stan rims

    and yes your right they did cost more than 500 pounds but lets not fall out over it eh :o
  • JamesB
    JamesB Posts: 1,184
    I`m very happy with a set of Hope Hoops, (Hope Pro 3 built onto Open Pros), not the lightest (300gm more than EA90 below) but IMHO they are a good compromise between weight / strength and ability to repair at roadside (spare spokes are provided)---and they have a nice ratchety frewheel too.
    Although I also use Easton EA90 I am wary about road surfaces with these, although probably worrying unnecessarily; however when a front spoke snapped I was glad to be <200yd from home as the wheel was so out of true due to low spoke count and high tensions.
    So basically I`d advise a good hand built as it is more serviceable if spokes go , and it wouldn`t wreck your hols
  • huuregeil
    huuregeil Posts: 780
    In the Alps, wheel weight is down on the list of considerations.

    Number 1: the ability to get home down the mountain with a broken spoke. Without the fear of death about the wheel pancaking. Far and away the most important consideration, confidence in your kit is key in the big mountains.

    Number 2: the ability to easily replace a spoke after breakage by baggage handlers/potholes, and thus not trash your trip for the sake of a 25p bit of metal.

    Number 3: braking performance. Carbon rims are out of the question for me.

    Number 4: weight. OK, low weight is helpful going uphill!

    No surprises that my ultimate alpine wheelset would revolve around something handbuilt...
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    Crankmeister wrote:
    like i mentioned i wasnt bragging im just wondering why mountain bike wheels seem much lighter taking iinto account they take lots of abuse of road.my wheels for the mountain bike have
    tune hubs
    cx ray spokes
    stan rims

    and yes your right they did cost more than 500 pounds but lets not fall out over it eh :o

    Because you're comparing top end mountain bike wheels with 'middle of the road' road wheels. As I already said, I've not been able to find any at the 500 mark that weigh less than 1.4kg. Money no object, I could buy a pair of road wheels that weigh less than a kilo. Also, a lot of wheel impact on MTBs are absorbed through bigger tyres and suspension, which is why they can be made a lot lighter today than say 15 years ago,not so with road wheels.
  • chhin77
    chhin77 Posts: 46
    Veltec Volare, 1550g for EUR 230,

    got a pair of them in white on my cervelo, very nice.

    so far I have put a 2000 miles on them and can't complain.

    http://www.bike-mailorder.de/shop/Rennr ... 11655.html

    the standard version comes for a €170 but got a few bad reviews.
  • Wappygixer
    Wappygixer Posts: 1,396
    Crankmeister wrote:
    like i mentioned i wasnt bragging im just wondering why mountain bike wheels seem much lighter taking iinto account they take lots of abuse of road.my wheels for the mountain bike have
    tune hubs
    cx ray spokes
    stan rims

    :o

    These are pretty much the same as road wheels.
    Road wheels are pretty much identical in weight to mtb wheels.What road rims gain in being narrower they loose in circumference.Also road spokes are slightly heavier due to longer lengths.

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